


It’s Okay to Ask for Help

by Honora_arts



Category: BnHA, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Abuse, Abused Todoroki Shouto, Abusive Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Child Abuse, Dabi and Todoroki Shouto Are Siblings, Dabi is Todoroki Touya, Dabi is a Todoroki, Family Issues, Feelings, LGBTQ, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Gets A Hug, Midoriya Izuku Needs A Hug, Midoriya Izuku is a Dork, Midoriya Izuku is a Good Friend, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Panic Attacks, Sick Todoroki Shouto, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Todoroki Shouto Angst, Todoroki Shouto Gets A Hug, Todoroki Shouto Needs a Hug, Todoroki Shouto is Bad at Feelings, things turn out okay don’t worry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:28:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25435411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honora_arts/pseuds/Honora_arts
Summary: Things at UA were going great. The students had moved into the dorms and everyone seemed to be adjusting well to the change. Midoriya was finally taking the steps he needEd to take to master One for All and become the number one hero and he was making life-long friends along the way. Although, something had been troubling him. Todoroki, who had been slowly opening up to everyone, became closed off once more and reverted to his previous cold nature. Everyone was taken aback by the sudden change, but didn’t know how to help. Knowing Midoriya and Todoroki are rather close, the class turned to him to find out what was going on with their icy hot friend. What Midoriya didn’t know was that a certain person had reappeared into Shouto’s life once again-but the changes this person had been through are nothing but catastrophic and severely troubling..Set after Bakugo is kidnapped and the students move into the dorms, but before the provisional license arc...WARNINGS: some panic attacks and anxiety attacks. This story also mentions abuse and Endeavor’s atrocious parenting.
Relationships: Midoriya Izuku/Todoroki Shouto, Todoroki Shouto & Todoroki Touya
Comments: 25
Kudos: 221





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you like this story! :)

Set after Bakugo is kidnapped and the students move into the dorms, but before the provisional license arc.

Midoriya Izuku was quite content with his place in the world at the moment. He was actively pursuing his dream of becoming the number one hero and living up to the responsibility of One for All, he had a close group of friends who he held dearly, and he was attending the best Hero school in the nation. Even those around him seemed relatively happy and he was glad for it. But one thing was concerning him. One of his friends, Todoroki Shouto, had begun to act very strangely recently. Well-strangely for his current self. After the sports festival and everything that happened with Stain, Todoroki was finally beginning to open up to everyone and allow himself to have friends. He even seemed to be adjusting very well to the move to the dorms-and Izuku could definitely understand why he would be happier at the dorms rather than at his home. But suddenly, that went away. He reversed into his original silent and cold nature. And Midoriya wasn’t the only person who noticed. His classmates begun to pick up on the change of demeanor pretty quickly and would often send worried glances towards the boy. 

More of an effort was put into including the latter in their frequent group activities, but their offers were always politely declined. His classmates were becoming increasingly worried about the change in tone and looked to Izuku to try and reach out to him. He and Todoroki shared a special kind of bond. He was the only one Todoroki really trusted in the class and the only one he would actively seek out. Although, Midoriya had already tried reaching out to him-considering he was the first to notice Todoroki’s reversal-but he was met with the same polite decline. He feared something bad happened to him, something that either brought him tumbling back into the memories of his traumatic childhood, or a return of his father’s cruel nature. Maybe Todoroki’s father changed his mind and decided he would begin to train him again-Izuku hoped with all his heart this wasn’t true. But no matter what, he was going to get to the bottom of this. No matter how many times Todoroki shut him out or refused his help, he would always be there to give it. Because meddling when you don’t need to is what heroes do. 

It was late and Midoriya was in the common room waiting for Todoroki to arrive. He’d been staying out later recently, and Izuku thought the best place to catch him was when he was returning to the dorms. Luckily, the common room was empty thanks to Iida’s help (whom he let in on his plan since he and Todoroki were also pretty close.) It was nearing to eleven when a soft click of a door made Izuku turn towards the entrance. Low and behold, Todoroki was just coming back. The taller boy looked absolutely exhausted: his hair was a mess and dark circles ringed his eyes. Further proving his friend’s sleepy state, he hadn’t even noticed Izuku was in the room. Before Todoroki could slip away upstairs, Midoriya greeted the latter. The look of surprise on his face would have been humorous if it wasn’t followed by the deep shame that shone in his eyes as he regained his composure. 

“Todoroki, where were you? it’s already eleven at night. I was worried.”

“Sorry...I just had to take care of something. Were you waiting up for me?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Midoriya was glad to be talking with Todoroki like this, recently he wouldn’t even say more than two words to anyone. The cold programming he adopted seemed to melt away with his sleepiness. 

“Sorry to trouble you.”

“Don’t apologize, Todoroki! It’s okay. You’re my friend after all,” Midoriya’s brain was going a million miles a second, trying to figure out what the best thing to say that wouldn’t scare him off. “Todoroki...could I ask you something real quick?”

“Oh-I guess so. What do you need?” Todoroki made a movement to come sit near Izuku, but quickly halted-a sort of realization swimming in his eyes for a moment before he simply looked back over, no longer making the move to get closer.

“Um...well I-“ He racked his brain, trying to come up with something, anything that would let the boy open up to him. But then he realized that maybe he didn’t need Todoroki to open up to him right this moment, but needed to simply get him back to his old self-even if only for a minute. And what worked best at pulling out someone’s true feelings? Worry. “Do-do you think you could come check my temperature? I’m not feeling to well.” There was an instant change in atmosphere as Todoroki immediately bounced into his protective nature. The rigidness was gone as he walked over to to him and sat down.

“Of course. Are you alright?” Todoroki’s voice had such a soft caring tone to it. He was very close to him. At least Izuku didn’t have to fake a temperature anymore as he was pretty sure his face was on fire due to the close proximity. A cool hand glided up to his forehead and waited there. Midoriya was sure he was sweating and could almost feel the heat of embarrassment rushing off of him in waves. Sure this was his plan, but being this close to him still felt odd (but not necessarily in a bad way.) Todoroki lowered his hand a gave him a concerning stare. “You definitely feel like you might have a fever and you’re all clammy. I’ll go make you some tea and take you to your room so you can rest.” 

Izuku felt bad making his already exhausted friend care for him when he wasn’t really sick but knew that this was the only way for him to get a sense on where Todoroki was mentally. This was also the longest conversation they’ve had in a week and it was nice to get some alone time with him. Todoroki placed a tea kettle on the burner and went back to sit with Midoriya. He thanked him and apologized for the trouble.

“You’re no trouble at all. How long have you been feeling sick?”

“Since around yesterday evening, but it felt worse tonight.” Izuku lied through his teeth. He hated lying to Todoroki, especially since the latter trusted him so much.

“I see. I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier. I’ve been a bit...preoccupied.”

“It’s okay, really! And so I’ve noticed. Is everything alright?”

“Just fine.” His eyes visibly darkened for a moment before returning to reality, “do you need anything to eat? I’d be happy to make you something.”

“I’m alright, thank you. I feel bad enough as it is making you stay up.” Suddenly the kettle screeched and Izuku saw Todoroki visibly flinch at the noise-evident fear invading his eyes before quickly washing it away with a few blinks. He stood up and quietly padded over to the kettle to shut it off. It was only then that Midoriya understood the meaning of the fear that overtook his stoic friend for a brief few seconds. He mentally slapped himself for making Todoroki make a thing of tea for him. Dread filled his veins as he clearly remembered the words that were spoken to him some months ago:  
And then my mother poured boiling water over my face...

He wanted to cry. Todoroki has been through so much. And now he was going through even more and Izuku hadn’t been able to do anything about it. But he wasnt finished yet. He was determined to help his friend and he wasn’t about to give up now. Todoroki sat back down with him and handed him a cup of tea. Carefully, Izuku brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. He quickly recoiled from the liquid as it was way to hot to drink. Seeing this, Todoroki gently took the cup from him with his right hand and activated his quirk. The cup slowly lost a bit of steam and the cup was handed back to him. He took another sip and was pleasantly surprised at the now perfect temperature of the tea. 

“Thank you, Todoroki!” Izuku smiled happily. Todoroki let the ghost of a smile fall on his lips as he nodded in response. After he finished his tea, it was nearly eleven thirty and the two decided it was definitely time to head to bed. Todoroki escorted Izuku back to his room and made sure he was alright before leaving for his own dorm. He slumped into his bed and pulled his comforter up to his chin, happy with the little progress he made tonight. Even though he didn’t find out what was bothering his friend, he was still happy to have been able to reach him and bring out the warmer side of his icy hot classmate. 

. . . . . . .

Midoriya woke up nice and early, his determination to help his friend freshly renewed after the previous night’s break through. He quickly got dressed, did his daily morning workout, and hopped down to the common room to grab some breakfast before the school day started. He fired up the stovetop and put on a mixture of scrambled eggs, making extra so he’d have some for Uraraka as well (the two usually ate breakfast together.) He plopped some bread in the toaster and slid his eggs onto a plate. He divided the helping and put some onto another plate along with a piece of buttered toast. He was just pouring them some orange juice when Uraraka sauntered into the room, her eyes still filled with sleep.

“Hi Uraraka!”

“Hey Deku! Thanks for making breakfast, it looks great!” She smiled brightly, a yawn escaping her lips. He grabbed his plate and orange juice and the two sat down at one of the tables nearby. They chatted for a small bit before Iida joined them. They switched between topics ranging from their school work all the way to wild theories about how many cats Aizawa sensei had. Soon most of class was down in the common room. He could hear an explosive conversation ensuing between Kirishima and Bakugo brewing already, despite it being way too early for the noise; he saw Kaminari, Jirou, and Yaayorozu all talking animatedly over the newest addition to the mall near the school and how they were excited to take a look at the new installment; and finally he spotted Todoroki quietly making his way down the stairs. Midoriya quickly flagged down the boy to join them at their table. He slowly padded over to their area and stood awkwardly beside it.

“Hey Todoroki!” Midoriya smiled as more greetings were being piled on top of his. Todoroki simply nodded in response and gave a quick good morning before turning his attention back to the green haired boy.

“Midoriya, are you feeling any better?” To this, Uraraka and Iida looked over to him curiously, previously unaware of any ailment of their friend. He responded quickly, waving his hands frantically. He was blushing profusely, remembering the events of the night.

“Oh-yeah thank you,” he hated how warbly his voice sounded, “Thanks again for helping me out last night!”

“No problem. Please let me know if you need anything. I should probably get going. See you in class.” Todoroki left the table and headed to the kitchen. Once he was out of ear-shot, he was berated with questions about his wellbeing. After a solid few minutes of being lectured, he quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.

“Oh. Thank goodness, I was worried about you for a bit there.” Iida sighed and fixed his glasses, “So you were able to get Todoroki to open up last night by pretending to be sick?”

“Pretty much so, but I wasn’t really able to get him to open up. It was more that I was able to return him to his usual self for a bit. I think his protective side overtook whatever he’s been dealing with lately and for a little bit he was back to normal.”

“Well that’s something at least!” Ochaco exclaimed, “That’s still more progress than anyone else has been able to make with him.”

“I guess so. I’m just glad that I was able to do anything at all. I’ve still got a lot of work ahead of me though.”

“You can do it, Deku! If anyone can do it, it’s definitely you!” Uraraka shouted just a bit too loudly.

“Thanks, Uraraka!”


	2. A turn for the worse

The mornings felt like they always went by so quickly. No sooner was everyone up chatting and having breakfast then heading off to school. Luckily, the students weren’t the only ones sleepy in the morning as their homeroom teacher Aizawa Shouta (otherwise known as Eraserhead) was just as fatigued. Aizawa slinked into the classroom that morning in his classic yellow sleeping bag, looking like he took his bed with him to work instead of crawling out of it. He quickly took attendance and slowly began his lecture for the day. 

Midoriya had his millions of notebooks splayed out on his desk and was quickly jotting down notes (quickly was actually quite an understatement as the boy could easily write close to the speed of sound.) By the end of Aizawa’s lecture, Izuku had compiled an impressive set of notes and neatly-but hastily-placed them in his backpack. This was an old habit that had developed during his time in elementary and middle school when Kacchan and the others who picked on him would look for any chance to destroy his notebooks. Sure, he didn’t need to do that anymore, but some things like that never quite go away. 

After he packed up his things, he took a glance back towards Todoroki’s seat. Sure enough, the peppermint haired boy had already departed the classroom and was headed for their next class. Usually, before Todoroki’s demeanor relapsed, he, Todoroki, and his other friends would walk down to their classes together. Now, it was just Uraraka and Iida who’d join him. The three shared a knowing glance with one another before exiting the classroom. The rest of the classes before lunch went similarly to the first and Midoriya was glad it was break time. As much as he loved taking notes, his hand certainly did not enjoy the strain. 

He gathered his lunch tray and sat down at his usual spot in the cafeteria. Iida (A/N: Iida’s name just autocorrected to Idaho.) and Uraraka soon joined him with their respective trays. As the two sat down, they looked ready to burst with news. 

“Deku! Guess what?” Ochaco asked , her eyes shining with excitement.

“What’s the matter?”

“Todoroki is the matter! He literally would not stop glancing over your way during lessons today.” She finished. Iida spoke up as well, “That is correct. Your plan of pretending to be sick is paying off pretty well.”

“Really?! I’m surprised I didn’t notice! I’m usually pretty aware of those things. I do feel bad for worrying him though.” Midoriya scratched his cheek bashfully. Had Todoroki really been staring at him during classes today? He must have been taking a lot of looks for Uraraka and Iida to notice. He blushed at the thought. He’d been doing that recently, getting flustered whenever Todoroki was near him or even brought into conversation. He didn’t really understand why this change had happened or when it started, but it was getting a little inconvenient at times like this when he was supposed to be sure of himself and serious. Still though, the thought of Todoroki caring for him so made him feel warm inside. 

“I know it might feel like that now, but I think that you’re doing the right thing by trying to get Todoroki to open up. We all knew it was going to take some drastic measures to find out what has been going on.” Iida started matter-a-factly. 

“By the way, did you catch what All Might was saying during class today? Apparently something big is coming up soon!” Ochaco beamed, shoveling food into her mouth as she spoke.

“Yeah! I think he said Aizawa sensei was going to address the subject tomorrow.”

“I wonder what it could be? Hopefully it’s something fun!”

“Well I for one hope it is both fun AND educational. We are here to become professional heroes after all. As the top hero school in-“

“I’m sure it’s will be plenty educational, Iida” Midoriya chuckled at his friends ability to stay so focused in on school all of the time. The rest of their conversation was mostly about the possible events that could be taking place at UA. Uraraka hoped that they would be doing a club fair; Iida was hoping for a field trip to a few hero agencies to see how the professional side of heroism would play into their daily lives; Midoriya was fine with pretty much anything, but would like to have some heroes come in and talk to them (mostly so he could just meet them.) lunch was over far too soon and the rest of the classes for the day filed through. 

After finishing the rest of their classes, Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka waited outside the school gates to try to walk back to the dorms with Todoroki. They waited there for a little bit before the heterochromatic boy appeared. As he walked by, the group took their chance to ambush him. They rushed up next to him, simultaneously spooking him and those around them. 

“Midoriya?” Todoroki looked utterly confused but his face quickly returned to its normal stoic expression.

“Hey Todoroki! We were just wondering if we could walk to the dorms with you?” Midoriya played with the straps of his book bag nervously, unsure of his friend’s answer.

“Um...I’m not heading back to the dorms right now. I have a few errands to run.” 

“Oh...can we still walk with you until we have to split ways?”

“Oh-um-sure.” 

“Yay!” Uraraka and Izuku said together. “So, where are you headed Todoroki?” Ochaco asked.

“Just to the market and a few other places.”

“I see! You sure have been going out a lot-“ Midoriya softly elbowed her, giving the silent notion that she was pushing too hard. She laughed nervously and Iida saved the conversation. “So, Todoroki. I’m sure you’ve heard about the upcoming event All Might mentioned earlier. Do you have any idea of what it might be?”

“Not really. Hopefully it’s nothing too big.”

“Aww but it could be fun to be able to do something other than hero work for once! Even if it was a big thing, I think it’d be fun!” Uraraka smiled.

“Perhaps. It’s just a very busy time right now.”

“That is an understandable point, Todoroki! School is very important, you know. It’s imperative that we all have time to complete our assignments and give them our all.” Iida said, adjusting his glasses and waving his arms in his signature robotic movements. “Fun activity or not I’m sure it will be very educational.” 

“I’m sure it will be, Iida.” Izuku chuckled. The conversation was going well. Todoroki seemed to be a bit more relaxed and he wasn’t pushing them away. His ‘errands’ did warrant a bit of concern, especially since he’d been returning so late every night to the dorms. He just hoped his ‘errands’ weren’t anything dangerous. 

The conversation went on for a bit longer, the three of them trying to pull answers from their friend with slim success. Soon it was time to part ways and the group said goodbye to their icyhot friend. They were happy that Todoroki had been even hesitantly willing to talk with them, even if it was just for a short period of time. Still though, they counted this as a success. 

After arriving at the dorms, Midoriya took to his room to get some homework done and organize his thoughts. He started off with a piece of English homework Present Mic assigned them as it was the most difficult and lengthy. Luckily, it was only due by the end of the week so he had a bit of time to complete it. After he started in on that, he moved onto Cementos’ math homework. Izuku was never necessarily good or bad at math, but sometimes his brain just couldn’t keep up with all the different equations they had to memorize and apply. He took a small break after that, deciding to work on some of his hero notebooks. He’d recently discovered a new hero who’d emerged and was eager to analyze his quirk. He did his research for about an hour before he went downstairs to grab dinner.

The common room was rather full as evening was approaching and the kitchen was already occupied. Apparently, Sato was going to prepare dinner for everyone tonight (they would take turns doing this sometimes as it was tough to get everyone into the kitchen to make their own meals.) He shouted a quick ‘Thank you, Sato!’ before joining up with Uraraka and Tsuyu whom were chatting by one of the couches. They just talked casually about some random things for a while until Sato announced that dinner was ready. The three of them waited to collect their food and then sat down to eat at one of the tables. 

It was nearing seven in the evening and the common room began to empty out. The dekusquad and bakusquad were the only ones left, excluding Iida who’d returned to his room early to study. Midoriya wasn’t expecting Todoroki to come back until later at night as usual, but was surprised to hear the rattle of the door and some shuffling. He peaked his head around the corner to see none other than the red and white haired boy just entering into the dormitory. He was about to call out to him to join them when he noticed that there were burn marks on his clothing and his jacket looked to be in tatters. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one to notice as Bakugo yelled, “Oi! Icy hot! What the fuck happened to you?” 

Todoroki just mumbled a strained ‘nothing’ before stiffly heading towards the stairs. Bakugo’s comment got the entire common room’s gaze on their classmate and it was evident the attention wasn’t appreciated. Even so, Midoriya wanted to make sure his friend was alright so he hurried after him. He called out to him and when he didn’t receive any sort of response, he gently grabbed onto his arm. Todoroki flinched and when he turned abruptly Midoriya could see his face scrunched up in pain. 

“Midoriya, let go!” He growled and the green haired boy quickly removed his hand. The sleeve from where his hand had been was pushed up slightly, revealing a burn adorning the peppermint haired boy’s skin.

“Todoroki...you’re hurt.” Izuku breathed, feeling the sting from the unfamiliar hostile tone lacing the boy’s voice. The room was silent as the interaction was observed by their classmates. With an urgency foreign to his body, Todoroki surged up the steps and went to his room. 

“What the hell was that, eh?” Bakugo growled, but Midoriya knew that there was concern in his words.

“Wait-Midoriya, you said he was hurt?” Krisihima spoke up.

“Yeah...” he answered, still shocked from being snapped at, “he had a burn on his arm.”

The room was oddly quiet and Izuku returned awkwardly to his seat. Uraraka attempted a small sympathetic smile, but nothing could cheer him up right now. Todoroki, a boy who seemed to never show any sort of emotion, had just blown up in front of all of them. Quiet mutterings floated among them and the air was tense. Things never really returned to normal after that and even as everyone attempted to get the flow of conversation started again, it just wasn’t happening. 

Soon, everyone but Izuku had ascended the stairs to go to their rooms. The freckled boy simply idled with his thoughts. The shock of being yelled at only lasted a few minutes, but the emotional after affects still hadn’t left him. He’d never heard Todoroki yell at anybody. He’d never expected the first person to be yelled at would be him. 

Was he pushing too hard? Did he deserve to be yelled at for prodding? He really just wanted to help, but was he hurting Todoroki instead? These thoughts nagged at his brain and he attempted to usher them away. How did Todoroki get burned? Last time he checked, his own fire couldn’t burn him, only his clothing and things around him. That means someone else had to have burned him. He first thought that possibly Todoroki had gotten into a fight, but as his mind digested the information he felt the color drain from his skin. Endeavor. 

He quickly pushed up from his seat and belined up the stairs. Who else could it be hurting Todoroki and making him behave in such a way? It was Endeavor then and it had to be Endeavor now. He hated that he waited this long to confront the boy about the matter, but he didn’t want to bring up such a touchy subject and cause a relapse. Looks like he didn’t have to intervene for things to get heated again. 

He climbed the last set of stairs leading to the fifth floor where Todoroki’s room was. As he was walking, something felt strangely off. There was a startling change in temperature compared to the fourth floor where he just came from. There was an unnatural chill that ran through the hall. At first his spooked him, but he then connected the dots and remembered that Todoroki’s quirk was temperature based. 

Whatever happened, it definitely wasn’t good. He hurried over to his friend’s door and saw frost creeping out from the hinges. He knocked on the door once, then he knocked again harder when he heard no response. Finally he decided he had to just barge in, something was wrong and he needed to help.

He turned the knob and had to push hard on the door to release it from its icy frame. When he stepped in, the room was covered in ice and intensely cold. He shivered as his eyes fell upon a sleeping figure. It was Todoroki...and he looked...afraid. His face was contorted in discomfort and he was shifting frantically in his sleep. The thing that worried Izuku the most, though, was the dense layer of ice building on his skin. The frost was even bleeding onto his left side. He had to act fast. 

He cautiously approached Todoroki and called out to him. He reached out and placed his hand on his arm to try and rouse him, but he recoiled from the blistering cold. He knew he had to wake up Todoroki or he would be in real danger, his ice would definitely give him frostbite or send him into hypothermic shock if he couldn’t wake him up soon. 

Midoriya braced himself as he set his hands on the sleeping boy again and hastily shook him. It took longer than it should have, but suddenly Todoroki’s eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly, breathing out one desperate phrase: “Touya no!” 

A moment passed before Midoriya spoke.

“Todoroki, you’re okay. You were having a nightmare. Everything’s alright. Everything is alright.” Izuku tried to soothe him, but the look of terror remained on his face, and tears-tears were falling from his eyes. Izuku’s heart sank at the sight. He could never picture his immovable, stoic friend looking like this. Looking so desperately afraid and distraught. The boy didn’t even notice Izuku’s presence as of yet. When he finally turned his head, a look of horror jumped to his features as he scurried backwards. His stoic expression forcing itself to take form once again.

“Midoriya?”

“Todoroki, are you okay? You were having a nightmare and you were freezing and I didn’t know what to do-“

“Midoriya.”

“The hall was even freezing over and j was so scared because you were covered in ice. I’m sorry I came in without permission but I couldn’t just stand there while you froze yourself to death, I just couldn’t.”

“Midoriya, it’s alright.”

“Really?”

“Yeah...I’m just sorry you had to see that.” 

“Does this...happen often?”

“...Sometimes. Not usually this bad.” He cooly wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up shakily. He shuffled his arms so the ice that was collected there shimmied off. He extended a hand to Izuku to help him up.

Upon feeling the coldness in the green haired boy’s hands, he wrapped them with his left and warmed them. Going around like a routine, the boy hastily melted away the remnants of the ice clinging to his room. The evidence of his nightmare now only being his disheveled state. 

Midoriya stood awkwardly in the middle of the room while Todoroki did his thing. A thought popped into his head suddenly, who is Touya? 

After Todoroki finished reheating the space, he took a seat on on the tatami mats and Midoriya joined him.

“Are you okay?”

“...yeah. Sorry to worry you. I...also wanted to apologize for yelling at you earlier. I know you were you were just trying to help.”

“It’s okay, Todoroki. Please don’t apologize for worrying me, that’s what friends are for.” He smiled. His heart warmed and he could feel himself become lighter with their conversation. Maybe things were gonna be alright. “Can I take a peak at your arm? I saw the burn earlier.”

“Oh...um...” Todoroki shifted his eyes and nervously pulled up his right sleeve, revealing a bandaged forearm. “I already took care of it. Thank you.”

“I’m glad. Todoroki...where did you get that burn?”

“Just training.”

“Training...with Endeavor?” Todoroki’s eyes went wide with that statement and he quickly responded, “What? No. My father is out of town right now anyways.”

“Oh-“ Welp there goes his suspicion. He could tell when Todoroki was lying for the most part, and he sounded genuinely confused at the question. “Sorry to jump to conclusions. I just worry sometimes.”

“It’s alright. I can...understand why you’d think that. But really, it’s just training” Now there was the lie. Every time he lied his eyes would cloud a bit, like he was dissociating from himself in order to be dishonest. He admired Todoroki’s honest nature and it made him easier to read. But how could he address the subject? Todoroki was obviously distressed already and would be quick to push him away. There was one question that was tugging at the front of his mind though, and before he could stop himself, he asked: “Who is Touya?”

Immediately the peppermint haired boy froze. Midoriya really messed up. He turned to him and just said, “No one. I think it’s best if we head off to bed. I’m sorry for the trouble. Thank you for helping me.” 

And that was it. There would be no more openness for at least tonight. Midoriya knew this and didn’t want to linger and make Todoroki more upset with him. He said goodnight and glumly walked to his room. This hero thing was turning out to be much tougher than he thought. But he wasn’t gonna give up. Not now. Not ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you liked the chapter! There should be another one coming out soon and I’m honestly excited to write it 😊


	3. A Helpful Tip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiro is a good friend and Midoriya is a better person than we deserve.

Midoriya woke up feeling awful. Not in a sick way, but his mind was so tired and his mood was spoiled. He was almost upset with Todoroki for making him feel this way (and that’s okay because Izuku is human and can have those types of emotions), but he hastily banished them from his thoughts. He had a right to be upset, but now wasn’t the time. He also knew that Todoroki would never be cruel to him on purpose or without something being very wrong, so he pushed those feelings aside for the time being. 

He got out of bed, stretched, brushed his teeth, and pulled on his school uniform. Today, it was Uraraka’s turn to make the two of them breakfast and he was grateful for it. He slapped on his signature smiley personality, despite feeling quite the opposite, and headed downstairs. 

After getting breakfast with Uraraka, he was feeling a little better. Ochaco was a dear friend and always let Midoriya voice his thoughts and concerns to her. And he wasn’t the only one feeling lousy today; Uraraka herself had a rough night after Tsuyu came into her room in tears. She was missing her family and they both ended up having a crying fest. Looks like both of them were having the same type of day, but with very different problems. If only Todoroki was that open with Midoriya then he wouldn’t be having such a difficult time. 

As time passed, he kept an eye out for any sign of his icy hot friend, hoping to catch a glimpse of him just to make sure he was alright from yesterday night, but there was no sign of him anywhere. He silently panicked as Todoroki was usually very diligent and never slept in, but he attempted to drown out his doubts. They both had a late night, he was probably just tired. 

His dress was steadily increasing as time passed and there was still no sign of him. Although, right before they left for school, Kirishima had approached him and told him that Todoroki had left very early in the morning before everyone (except Kirishima) was awake. They shared knowing looks with one another, clearly remembering the outburst from the previous night. 

As much as Midoriya wanted to stay in his head during the walk to school, he knew it’d be better for both himself and his friends if they acted a bit more normal. Today was the day Aizawa was supposed to announce the upcoming event, or activity, that the class would be partaking in. Midoriya wasn’t sure if All Might had intended to let that information slip as the man was fairly loose lipped, but he was glad to have a bit of a heads up about it.

When Izuku and his group arrived at the classroom, Todoroki was already there silently going over his notebook. He didn’t acknowledge his presence at all and continued this distance for the rest of class. This was understandable, especially after their private conversation last night and the way it ended. Although, something was off even more today. Todoroki looked ghostly pale and had a light flush on his cheeks, every now and then sniffling. Even Aizawa sensei noticed that something was off. Granted, the concerned glances in the latter’s direction didn’t really scream ‘subtle’ to their already overly observant teacher. 

Nonetheless, Aizawa carried on with the lesson as planned and announced the event happening at the school.

“So, I’m sure you’ve all heard that the hero course will be doing something special this month.” 

Quiet murmurs erupted from the class, but a fierce glare from their teacher schooled the room into silence. 

“You will all be doing a project in groups of four about the different aspects of heroism. The topics are Offense, Defense, Rescue, Research, and Evacuation. The groups have already been decided. When you hear your name, go sit by the group leader. The group leader is the first name mentioned on the list.

First Group: Offense  
-Yaoyorozu   
-Jiro  
-Sato  
-Ayoyama 

Second Group: Defense  
-Shoji  
-Kaminari  
-Ojiro  
-Mineta

Third Group: Rescue  
-Ashido  
-Hagakure  
-Koda  
-Tokoyami 

Fourth Group: Research  
-Iida  
-Asui  
-Bakugo  
-Sero

Fifth Group: Evacuation  
-Midoriya  
-Todoroki   
-Kirishima  
-Uraraka ”

There were lots of groans and grumbles heard amongst the classroom (along with several loud explosions and curse words from a certain spiky blonde.) Chairs scrapped the floor and people shuffled past one another in order to get into their pairings. Each group was settled around their respective leaders, carefully awaiting instruction from Aizawa. Midoriya’s desk was now crowded by his team, and though these were his friends, the closeness of them still felt uncomfortable. He was overly aware of his body temperature and how he was breathing, afraid of being looked at strangely-or really at all for that matter.

After explaining that the point of the project was to make several example plans and strategies pertaining to each topic, he allowed them the remaining fifteen minutes of class to discuss and plan with their groups. And Midoriya’s group, to put it nicely, was very awkward currently. Kirishima, the literal ray of sunshine that he is, took charge and started talking about potential ways they could present their project. 

Conversation flowed pretty naturally from there on out. Midoriya easily took the lead once his nerves had floated away and Uraraka and Kirishima were always ready to back his decisions, or if they weren’t the best plans, let him down easy. Todoroki spoke only when spoken to, but it was still something. 

Even with the short amount of time they had been allotted, the group still managed to come up with a solid starting point. They had decided to make two separate dioramas of two types of disasters in order to make different evacuation strategies. There still was a lot to figure out, but at least they had somewhat of an idea of what they were going to do. 

Aizawa sensei handed out an instruction guide and rubric so the teams would know exactly what they had to accomplish with their project. 

The four of them decided to create a group chat where they could plan and brainstorm more ideas. Since the class already had a single group chat (in which was very rarely used for academic purposes to Iida’s dismay), everyone already had each other’s contact information. 

As soon as their time started, it was over and the bell rang to dismiss them. The loud sound of metal sliding across the floor filed the room as people rushed to put their desks back in order. Everyone was packing up when Aizawa asked Todoroki to stay behind for a moment. 

Midoriya chanced a look back at him, but Todoroki looked very much out off it, slowly assuring his attendance in the matter. Izuku really wanted to stay and longer for as long as he could so he could make sure Todoroki was alright, but he didn’t really have that option at the moment. Begrudgingly, Midoriya and his friends left the classroom and went on to their next class. 

As class began, he was very surprised that Todoroki wasn’t the only one who was currently missing. Jiro had somehow disappeared between classes. Todoroki even made it back to class before her, despite definitely looking worse for wear. Finally she showed up five minutes after him explaining that she was with the nurse and she took out a pass. (NOTE: she had an emergency pass from the last time she went to the nurse and kept it in case she ever had to have an excuse for being late or caught in the halls.) Class that day was pretty standard, besides the fact that Todoroki was coughing a sneezing throughout the entire lecture. It took all of his will power not to march up to the stubborn boy and drag him to the nurse. At the end of class, Midoriya attempted to approach Todoroki and ask if he was feeling alright, but before he could get to him he felt a quick tug on his sleeve. He turned around. Jiro was nervously tugging at his shirt. She asked if he could follow her for a moment and he obliged-utterly confused.

“Midoriya, sorry to pull you away back there but I need to talk to you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper and Izuku had to lean down to hear her.

“What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry. But...I know I really shouldn’t be telling anyone this-I really shouldn’t even know myself- but I may or may not have been eavesdropping of Aizawa sensei and Todoroki’s conversation...”

“You what?!” 

“Shh! Someone will hear you.” She sighed, “look I was headed to the bathroom and overheard a bit of what they were talking about and may have plugged my earphone jack in to listen...out of concern though! I wanted to know what was going on with Todoroki.”

“I get that, Jiro-but wow-I still can’t believe you did that.” Midoriya chuckled nervously.

“Okay, but I came to you because I wanted to talk to you about what I heard.” She paused, guilt shining in her eyes for a second before determination overtook them. “I know you’re trying really hard to get Todoroki to open up to you and I want to help-he’s a solid dude, ya know?”

“Well-I can’t say I don’t appreciate the help. Okay...so what did you find out?”

“Well...Aizawa was trying to get Todoroki to open up a a bit as well-said he noticed that he wasn’t himself lately. Todoroki obviously denied any part of that and said he was fine. But then Aizawa started drilling him on why he’s been out of the dorms so late. And-here’s the part that you HAVE to keep secret because I am NOT supposed to know about this-but Todoroki said that he was out...” she paused again, very hesitant to complete her sentence, before breathing out, “visiting his brother’s grave...”

I’ve immediately flooded his veins and he felt the internal need to steady himself. His thoughts were racing and he wasn’t really sure what to say or do next.

“Oh-Jeez...I didn’t know Todoroki lost a brother...”

“Me either. I didn’t even know Endeavor had any other children other than Todoroki and his two other siblings.” 

Todoroki had a another brother? He was already well aware of Fuyumi and Natsuo’s presence and knew that they were both alive and well, but he was completely thrown through a loop with the news. Something like that would definitely be a valid cause for Todoroki’s recent regress, but something still didn’t feel right. Why didn’t he know about another sibling? Why was Todoroki hiding this information? There must be something else they’re missing. 

“Still,” Jiro continued, “Aizawa said that tonight was the last night he’d allow Todoroki to go and visit late for a while, so that being said...I think you should wait up for him.”

“But-what if he doesn’t want to talk to me?” This was sensitive topic and Todoroki was obviously not comfortable talking about it. The doubts he was having kept pushing their way to the forefront of his mind and ended up spilling out of his mouth. “What if I’m pushing too hard?”

“Midoriya. Something is clearly wrong. You know that-we all know that. We’ve been through so much together as a class and it’s important that, even when it’s hard, we look out for each other. To be honest, you’re the only one with a shot of getting him to open up. I hope you’ll at least try. And we’re willing to support you the whole way through.”

“Oh-well...thank you, Jiro. Really...that helped. Our class is a bit like a family, huh?” 

“You know it.” They both laughed, clearly remembering all of the things the class had endured together, as a family. After a moment they hesitantly parted ways. Jiro’s words stayed with the green haired boy for a bit, reassuring him and helping him feel more confident in his goal. He had his class relying on him-supporting him. He had Todoroki relying on him. He wasn’t about to fail. He didn’t want to. 

When Izuku got back to the dorms later that day, he rushed up to his room and quickly finished his homework. He was completely unsure of how he was going to approach the subject with Todoroki. 

How does one casually and respectfully bring up something like that? He racked his brain, envisioning several different scenarios of the event. Some ended well, but more often than not his mind jumped to unfavorable outcomes. One of them being Todoroki ending their friendship right then and there. He couldn’t even fathom what he would do then. 

As much as Midoriya was focused on his hero work, he still loved the moments he shared with his friends. They were precious to him. And Todoroki was...someone special to him. 

There was this unspoken trust and understanding shared between them. Whether it was their experiences at the sports festival, the stain incident, or Bakugo’s rescue, there was this unbreakable sync between the two. 

There was a feeling he got every time he saw Todoroki that he couldn’t quite explain. Like a blooming feeling he got in his chest every time he saw his icy hot classmate. Or the way his eyes lingered on him longer than anyone else. This was new territory to say the least. He hadn’t really felt anything like this before he met Todoroki. He didn’t mind it either.

That’s why this was so important, and why he was so distressed about the upcoming conversation he had to have. He didn’t want to break the trust that they had taken so long to build. To be honest, he was scared.

Still rambling away his thoughts in his head, he made his way downstairs for dinner. He figured that there wasn’t much else he could except wait for tonight to come.

Dinner was made by Yaoyorozu today and the food looked absolutely stunning, if not a bit too fancy for the high schoolers. Nonetheless, the food was greatly appreciated. Midoriya was one to stress eat so he ended up finishing two helpings of the food. 

He sat with Uraraka and Iida who were able to take his mind off of things for a while as they joked and laughed about their disastrous groupings. Poor Iida had Bakugo in his group, and the boy was enraged to be put in a non-combative sector of the project. Half of his job was simply to keep his explosive classmate in check. 

The two very clearly butted heads though, and that couldn’t really be helped at the moment. Bakugo simply majorly preferred things he could solve with his fists, Iida enjoying thing that involved a bit more thought. Iida could still kick butt, though. This was something the two were very good at. Iida did love research though, so he was in his natural habitat.

Since Uraraka and Midoriya were in the same group, they didn’t have much to complain about. Other than the topic itself, of course. Midoriya loved strategy and research and all aspects of hero work, but trying to evacuate people and hold a position of authority over them made him nervous. 

Midoriya could hardly stand up to himself, so how in the world was he supposed to be a stable force to guide others? The project and planning of the evacuation strategies weren’t too overly complicated, but the subject had opened up a few insecurities he had about his future career as a hero. 

Being a hero was his dream, but that didn’t necessarily mean that there weren’t parts of the job that he wasn’t unsure of. He was going to have to develop a thicker skin if he was to truly succeed as a hero (But he still wanted to keep his gentle demeanor though. That’s just who he was as a person). 

Time passed more quickly than before and soon it was nearing eleven. Yaoyorozu had pulled Izuku aside before she went to bed to give him a thing of leftovers for Todoroki. Jiro, being very close with Yaoyorozu, had informed her of his plan for the nigh so Momo wanted to help in any way she could. The class moms definitely earned their titles to say the least.

He expected to come across Todoroki soon, as their latest curfew was eleven, but there was no sign of the boy. Midoriya grew anxious as more time passed. It was eleven fifteen when Midoriya decided he would wait directly outside of the dormitory entrance just so he could see when Todoroki was coming. Minutes felt like hours as he sat on a bench outside of the building desperately awaiting his friends arrival. Something was wrong. Todoroki has never been this late before. 

Midoriya stood up from his spot of the bench and walked over to the sidewalk leading to the building. He peered around the corner to try and see if Todoroki was on his way back, but no one was there. He sighed defeatedly and turned around to head back to his seat. But-there by the entrance was Todoroki...being carried a man with blue flames dancing around him and scarring all over his body. It was Dabi. 

And he was holding an unconscious Todoroki in his arms-staring back at Izuku with his piercing blue eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry to leave this off on a cliffhanger! The next chapter should be out soon!
> 
> Also! If you’re interested, I have an art account on instagram with Tododeku, Klance, and other artwork there. So, if you want to please check it out! It’s @art.on.a.comet


	4. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya takes care of Todoroki and the truth is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sad chapter 😢

Izuku couldn’t believe his eyes. How did a villain get onto school property? Why did he have Todoroki? What in the world happened? He steadied himself, ready for a fight. The thought of his friend being at the mercy of a villain making his blood boil.

“What did you do to him?” He growled, trying to keep his emotions in check so that he could think.

“I didn’t do anything, stupid. Your idiot friend collapsed from sickness trying to find me.”

“And you expect me believe you?” 

“I don’t care if you believe me or not,” he said as he-far too gently for a villain-placed Todoroki on the ground. “UA really needs to keep a closer eye on their students.” 

“Wait-why did you bring him back?” Izuku was frantic at this point. There had to be a reason why this villain brought Todoroki back. Was it a trap? Did he place something on Todoroki? 

“Look-I might not be a ‘hero’ as you call them-but I have morals. You’re all just stupid children, I don’t care about any of you.” Dabi groaned. They stood there staring at each other for a few moments before the man walked to the left and smirked, immediately bursting into flames. Midoriya jumped back, expecting an attack, but was surprised when the scarred man disappeared into thin air. 

He took a moment to let his panic fade and quickly scampered over to his friend. He kneeled down and looked him over. He didn’t appear to have any serious injuries-just a few scrapes. If the villain was telling the truth, those scrapes were likely just from Todoroki hitting the ground when he collapsed. Carefully, Izuku placed a gentle hand on his forehead, but recoiled from the heat. 

He could tell just from the temperature itself that he was very sick, and the green haired boy hadn’t a clue what to do. He figured he should at least get Todoroki inside and up to his room. Cautiously, he picked up the taller boy and cradled him in his arms. This would definitely be a bonding moment he wouldn’t forget. His entire body was far too warm and he knew he had to act fast. He dashed inside and up the stairs to his own room, disregarding the need to be quiet as he clamored up the stairs with heavy steps. 

When he arrived, he laid the peppermint haired boy softly on his bed and drew the covers up over him. He would have been embarrassed for Todoroki to see his All Might themed room if he weren’t currently on the brink of tears. 

He grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in cold water, ringing out the excess into the sink. He folded it and placed it on the sick boy’s forehead. The water steamed off of it and soon the cool rag turned hot. His quirk was certainly working against him right now. 

He tried to rouse him, but Todoroki wouldn’t wake up. He had absolutely no clue what to do. He was about to call Aizawa sensei and tell him what happened when Todoroki’s eyes fluttered open. His eyes swept the foreign environment, but didn’t seem to take anything in. Midoriya tried speaking to him.

“Todoroki! Todoroki, can you hear me?” 

A slow nod was the only response he got. He closed his eyes again.

“Todoroki, I need you to talk to me. Are you okay? What happened?!” 

Todoroki painfully squeezed his eyes shut and muttered an “-m fine” 

“You’re not fine!” Izuku watched the boy shift his body and curl in on himself. “Todoroki, can you look at me?” 

His eyes lazily opened again and he seemed to stare straight through The curly haired boy. “You’re pretty...” 

Izuku blushed wildly, almost letting himself get all giddy before realizing that Todoroki would never say that to him if we wasn’t in really bad shape. His fever was getting out of hand and he knew he needed help. He should’ve called Aizawa immediately anyways considering a literal VILLAIN carried Todoroki back to the dorms. 

“I’m gonna call Aizawa-sensei and he’ll be able to help you, okay Todoroki?” He picked up his phone to dial his number, but a warm hand weakly grasped his arm before he could press call. Todoroki was looking at him and trying to speak.

“Please...please don’t tell him...about Dabi...” he slurred and looked into his eyes.

“Todoroki I have to!”

“Please...I’ll-I’ll explain...tomorrow...” 

“Todoroki...” Midoriya didn’t want to upset him. The way he pleaded with Midoriya so desperately broke his heart. Okay. He’d wait one more day before telling Aizawa about the villain incident until he got some answers. He was sure Todoroki had a good reason to keep all this a secret. But, if he didn’t get answers the next day he was gonna call it in. “Okay. But I’m still calling to get recovery girl to come take a look at you.”

“Thank you.” Todoroki whispered and almost immediately fell back into an uneasy sleep. Midoriya picked up his phone and pressed call. After a few rings, Aizawa’s grumpy voice crackled through the phone.

“Midoriya, what is the problem now?”

“I’m sorry, sensei. It’s Todoroki, he’s very sick and his quirk is going crazy right now. I don’t know how to help him and I don’t know what to do-“

“Midoriya, it’s okay. I’ll call Recovery Girl to come take a look at him. Hang tight.”

“Thank you, Aizawa sensei!”

“Sure thing, Problem child.” 

It only took around fifteen minutes for Recovery Girl and Aizawa sensei to arrive at the dorms. Midoriya met them at the entrance and led them up to his room. Upon seeing the boy, Recovery Girl got straight to work checking his temperature and his vitals. Aizawa looked worried. As much as he said he didn’t care for his class the man couldn’t hide his true feelings. Izuku told him that he’d found Todoroki passed out in the common room with a fever and brought him to his room to watch over him. 

Aizawa looked skeptical at his explanation, but didn’t push any further. A few minutes later, Recovery Girl deemed Todoroki unfit for treatment since the latter just didn’t have enough stamina to survive her quirk. Luckily, his condition wasn’t life threatening so rest and proper care would be all that was needed. Izuku let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and thanked Recovery Girl for her help. After she left, Aizawa stayed for around fifteen minutes so he could erase Todoroki’s quirk for a bit to allow him to cool down. 

His teacher patted Midoriya on the shoulder, thanked him, and left the facility. The green haired boy breathed a sigh of relief. It was nearly one in the morning and he was absolutely exhausted. Now that Todoroki was in a more stable state, he thought it wise to get some sleep. He pulled a futon from his closet and laid it out to the left of his bed. Once his head hit the pillow, he immediately fell asleep. 

It only felt like he’d slept for maybe a few minutes when something heavy crashed down on his floor. Despite his sleepiness, he immediately bounded up from his futon. Todoroki, from the looks of it, had tried to get out of bed and crumpled. He was on his hands and knees attempting to get up, with little success. Izuku raced over to his friend and helped him back into bed.

“Todoroki, you’re sick and should be resting. Please don’t get up like that!” He chided, smiling softly at the boy’s messy hair, red and white strands entangled together disorderly. Todoroki looked much more alert than before, but considering the boy couldn’t even keep his eyes focused the night previous, he was still pretty bad off. Cautiously, he slowly placed his hand on his forehead. The fever had gone down a bit, but he was still far too hot. “How are you feeling?”

“I...I’ve been better.” Todoroki averted his eyes, seemingly ashamed to be cared for like this. “Sorry to bother you.”

Midoriya shook his head. The way that Todoroki thought he was being a burden hurt. The blaring reminder that, before UA, Todoroki didn’t really have anyone to care for him stabbed at Izuku. He wanted to let him know that he could never be a burden and that it was okay to be vulnerable. They were all only human, let alone being teenagers. 

“Todoroki...you could never be a burden. Please don’t make yourself face everything alone. There are plenty of people who WANT and are happy to help you. I want to help you.”

Todoroki looked up at Midoriya with almost desperate eyes. He seemed nervous, but hopeful. Midoriya pulled Todoroki into a gentle hug. He didn’t expect a response to it, but was pleasantly surprised when he felt the boy’s arms wrap around him. He slowly pulled away after a minute or two, giving him a soft smile. “Okay. Now, I’m gonna go get us something to eat and drink. Let’s get you back in bed for the meantime, though.”

Todoroki nodded and allowed himself to be guided back into bed and tucked in. A light blush lit up his face, the feeling of being taken care of so nicely embarrassing him. Midoriya smiled and told him he’d be right back so he could run to the kitchen and get some food. 

The trip to the kitchen was very short as he practically speed walked the whole way. He was happy that it was a Saturday morning as the common room and kitchen would be relatively empty. 

When he arrived, only a few students were occupying the room and no one was in the kitchen. Walking over to the fridge, Izuku grabbed a thing of eggs and began preparing his usual breakfast, only now it would be for both himself and Todoroki. He made toast and instead of grabbing orange juice, he opted for tea since it was Todoroki’s favorite. He made his signature scrambled eggs, divided them up, and slid both the eggs and toast onto two plates. He put everything on a tray so he could bring the food up more easily. After brewing some green tea and adding a bit of honey to Todoroki’s (he figured it would help if he had a sore throat), he carefully maneuvered up the stairs. 

He was nearly surprised to see Todoroki still in bed when he got back, part of him believed he’d try to leave so he wouldn’t have to talk to Izuku about the night before. He was glad for it; it meant Todoroki trusted him. He felt his pulse quicken at the thought and promptly busied himself with setting up their meal.

He propped up pillows to allow Todoroki to sit up and gave him the tray so he could use it as a table. That way he wouldn’t have to leave the bed. The two ate in silence, the only sound being hushed coughs from the peppermint haired boy. Izuku guessed he was right to add that honey to his tea. After they finished, Midoriya knew if was time to talk. Todoroki looked like he knew as well as he would send quick glances toward him, like he knew what was coming. 

“Okay so....can you tell me what’s been going on? Why...why were you looking for Dabi?” Midoriya squeaked out. He was nervous to finally get to the bottom of what had been going on. The ordeal had only been going on for about a week, but it felt like much longer. It was silent for a bit. Todoroki gave him a contemplative look and ultimately sighed, failing to come up with a reason not to tell Midoriya what was going on.

“This is going to be a pretty...rough story. Is that okay?” Todoroki looked nervous, flicking his eye between his lap and Midoriya.

“Of course, Todoroki. I’m here to listen.”

“Okay...well I know you know a bit about my life at home with Endeavor and what happened with my mother, but there’s a lot more to it. As you know, my parents were involved in a quirk marriage, my father trying to create the perfect ‘masterpiece’ to surpass All Might.” Izuku nodded, he was well aware of Endeavor’s obsession with the number one hero and how he forced his will on Todoroki. He tightened his fist, thinking about the harm he’d done to his children. 

“My siblings are where things get a bit...complicated. I doubt you know this, but...I used to have another brother other than Natsuo named Touya. He was the oldest in the family and he was born with my father’s quirk. But the quirk marriage ended up doing more harm than good as my mother’s ice quirk made Touya’s skin unable to handle his own fire. He’d always hurt himself trying to use his quirk.” 

“My father decided to train him for a small bit, but after seeing the damage his own quirk caused, deemed him a failure. This also meant that Endeavor disallowed any proper quirk training for anyone in the family seen as a failure. After Fuyumi and Natsuo were born, both being immediately deemed failures for carrying my mother’s quirk, I came around. My father was ecstatic to see I carried both his and my mother’s quirk and didn’t waste a second to start training me. He completely neglected my siblings and focused solely on “training” me.”  
Midoriya didn’t like where this was going. He was smart enough to know that his father’s training was more abuse than anything. The clouded eyes of the sweet boy in front of him made Izuku want to go out and expose Endeavor for everything that he was: a fake, a villain, and an abusive piece of flaming garbage. Then, lock him in jail for the rest of his life. 

“I wasn’t allowed to interact with my siblings, my father feared I would get distracted or their “failure” would rub off on me. Still though, Touya looked out for me. He would fix me up after training and sneak in to check on me when my father went to sleep. He knew the danger that came with it, but he did it anyways just so he could make me feel better” Todoroki’s eyes shone and he seemed to be pulled back into a memory before quickly shaking it off and continuing.

“He’d even step in if my training got too rough. Of course that would put him in danger so I always asked him not to do it. He’d just smile at me and pat my head. He was a good older brother. He always helped out our siblings and helped my mother. Although...things changed after my mom burned me and got sent away. The house grew so much colder and Touya became relatively scarce. I was still recovering when...when...” the amount of pain in his eyes made Izuku’s chest squeeze, he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to keep his tears in. He didn’t want to be the one crying when this was Todoroki’s story, but he couldn’t help feeling this way. He put a hand on his leg to show support.

“Well...Touya had been practicing with his quirk. He wanted to get stronger to protect everyone, but his body...it couldn’t handle it. He also wasn’t taught how to handle it because he wasn’t allowed to receive any formal quirk training because of Endeavor. One day when I was training with Endeavor, we heard this terrible scream coming from the courtyard. We ran outside and-“ he paused, unable to continue. His fists clenched tightly around his sheets and a tear slid down his face, wrenching itself from his heart. “He had lost control of his quirk and burned himself. Badly. We rushed him to the hospital but-he was so badly hurt. They weren’t sure if he was going to make it. But...when we went to go see him he was gone. He’d somehow been able to get himself out of the hospital and he vanished. I assumed he didn’t want to be anywhere near Endeavor like that, and we all thought he’d died. I’d also thought that until maybe a week ago. When I figured out that Dabi is...actually my brother. Dabi is Touya. The change that he’s been though, Midoriya...you can’t even imagine.” The last sentence was spoken in a solemn whisper, his shoulders were slumped forward and he looked so utterly lost. Midoriya couldn’t help it at this point and he was crying as silently as possible, bunching up his fists.

“And now. My caring older brother is a villain. A villain who’s killed people and is planning to kill my father.” 

This was absolutely horrifying. Izuku really couldn’t imagine the immense pain Todoroki was going through right now. He finally understood. Why Todoroki had been so distant and tense as of late, why he had snapped at Midoriya, why he had him lie to Aizawa about Dabi...

He wasn’t sure how to comfort the boy. He himself was still reeling from all of the information just dumped onto him. But they had to do something. Midoriya wasn’t going to let Todoroki deal with this alone. They would figure this out. He decided right then and there that he’s never going to let him suffer alone ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter should be out soon! (Also if you noticed the Klance reference *high five*)


	5. Ch 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff

Ch 5

It was quiet for a while, both boys remaining painfully silent. Midoriya’s mind was going a million miles per hour.

He was trying to think up something comforting to say to the broken boy in front of him, but he was at a loss for words. 

“So...you’ve been going out to try and find your brother? That’s why you’ve been out so late.”

“Yeah...he’s hard to find when he wants to be.”

“I’m sorry if this comes off offensively, but...your brother is a villain now. What are you hoping will happen if you seek him out?” He watched Todoroki carefully to make sure he didn’t cross any lines, but he looked unaffected by the question. He guessed it was something the boy had given quite a lot of thought to so he must have had a reason in mind.

“To be honest, Midoriya, I just want my brother back. I was hoping to try and change his mind. To stop being a villain. He doesn’t have to be a hero, but if he could just find peace. I know he’s done terrible...unspeakable things, but...he’s been through a lot. And he’s my brother. I can’t help but care what happens to him.” He sighed and combed his hair from his damp forehead. He looked relieved that he’d gotten that off of his chest, but absolutely drained from the experience. Looked like his sickness was catching up to him.

“That’s understandable, Todoroki. But you have to be very careful. I’d like to talk with you a bit more about this, but I think it’s best if you get some rest. We can always talk later.” Midoriya smiled, sweetly assuring that he was there to take care of him. 

Todoroki looked guilty at taking time away from his day, but the green haired boy quickly let him know that he wasn’t a bother and deserved a good rest. With that, he nodded and slowly positioned himself under the covers. It wasn’t long before Todoroki drifted off to sleep, looking much more at peace than he was beforehand. 

He wasn’t sure why, but he’d taken to stroking the boy’s hair. He noticed that when Todoroki was nervous or uncomfortable, he’d play with and twirl his hair; so, he wanted to see if it would help him now. He quietly hummed to himself and simply focused on the boy in front of him. He could think later, but right now he just wanted to stare at the boy he felt such an urge to protect. 

He’d always been very protective of his friends, but with Todoroki it was different. There was something there that made him extremely protective over the boy, to a point where he’d almost caught himself glaring at anyone who’d make offhanded remarks to him or look at him the wrong way. 

He felt this even more now as he was caring for him in such a vulnerable state. He knew what these feelings were now though. A crush. He had a big fat crush on his classmate. And he had no clue what to do about it, or if he even should do anything about it. Especially now, when Todoroki was going through so much, that would be a messy confession. 

A chime sounding from both his and Todoroki’s phone broke the silence in the room and Midoriya moved to check who it was. Kirishima had texted the group chat asking if they’d want to get together to work on their project. Amidst all of the chaos, he had almost forgotten about their assignment. Before replying, he clicked on the silent mode on Todoroki’s phone so it wouldn’t disturb him. He did the same for his.

Midoriya: Hey guys! Yeah, I think it’d be a good idea to get together to work on the project.

Kirishima: Great! Would this evening work for you three?

Uraraka: That sounds good to me!

Midoriya: I’m sorry to ask, but do you think we could wait until tomorrow to meet up? Todoroki is sick.

Kirishima: Oh no! Sorry to hear that. 

Uraraka: Aww poor Todoroki :(

Kirishima: Of course we’ll wait until tomorrow! Tell Todoroki I hope he feels better and to take care of himself! It’s manly to take time off when you’re not feeling well!

Uraraka: Yeah! Same here! 

Midoriya: Thanks guys! I’ll make sure to let him know.

He placed his phone back down on his desk and pulled out his notebook. He needed to distract himself from everything going on so he decided to do some research on different heroes that specialized in rescue and evacuation. He thought it might be handy for their project while still being something fun to do. It was a little after lunch time before Todoroki woke back up. He seemed to be doing a tad bit better, but likely wouldn’t be back on his feet at least until tomorrow. 

In order to lighten the mood, the two decided to play some video games on Midoriya’s system. Todoroki was surprisingly good at them despite having never played before. Still, Midoriya’s tactical nature and knowledge of Mario Kart still earned him an overwhelming victory. 

They chatted for a bit, just talking about everything and anything. School, hobbies, favorite heroes, and so many other things. After being asked, Midoriya nervously showed Todoroki his hero notebooks. He was very impressed by them and told Izuku they were really neat. Midoriya, a blushing mess, asked Todoroki if he had any particular hobbies like that. 

“Well, I don’t really know if I have something like this, but I do enjoy reading. I also like writing letters sometimes.” The soft smile that graced his lips made Izuku feel all warm inside. 

“That’s very nice, Todoroki! You write to your mother, right?”

“Yeah. We write back and forth since she can’t have any technology or anything. I don’t mind it, though. A letter feels more personal.”

“Yeah, I agree. I write little cards to my mom sometimes if I think she might be feeling lonely.” He smiled and thought back to the last card he sent his mother. He had an All Might themed card and had written about how they were fairing in the dorms. She worried often, especially with all of the injuries Midoriya had gotten recently, so he made the extra effort to put her mind at ease.

“That’s a very kind thing for you to do, Midoriya. You’re a very caring person you know.” Todoroki blushed slightly, and Midoriya felt like he was the one with the fire quirk as he could practically feel his face steaming. He jumbled his words.

“Oh-ah t-thank you, Todoroki. Y-you’re very kind as well. I know people might not see it at first, but you’re a very nice person.” Todoroki looked a little surprised, but smiled and looked down at his lap. The room was enveloped in a comfortable awkward silence. Both boys unsure of what they were supposed to do or say, but feeling safe being together. 

Suddenly, a knock on the door broke the silence, and the green haired boy went to answer it. He was very surprised to see Kirishima and Bakugo standing there, the latter holding a bowl of soup in his hands. 

“Midoriya! Sorry to bother you, but we thought that since Todoroki was sick it would be nice to send up some famous get-well-soon food. So, Bakugo and I made some soup!”

“I did the cooking, dumbass. You couldn’t cook if your life depended on it.” Bakugo scowled and turned his murderous gaze on Izuku, “And I just happened to be making food so don’t take this as anything special, you damn nerd. Tell Todoroki to get better soon so I can fight him or whatever...” the last sentence was quickly mumbled out as the bowl of soup was hastily thrust into his hands. Luckily, Izuku had good reflexes so he managed not to spill it.

Before leaving, Kirishima whispered. “Bakugo was really worried, you know. Let me know how Todobro is later.”

“Of course. Thanks so much!” Midoriya beamed. It was then that that he was reminded just how many wonderful friends he had. He carefully walked back into the room and set the bowl of soup on his side table. 

“Todoroki! Bakugo and Kirishima made you some get-well soup.” Todoroki eyed the food suspiciously, looking to Midoriya with a confused look on his face.

“I know.” He laughed, “Kacchan can come off very mean and uncaring, but he is actually really sensitive. He’s very protective over his friends and likes to take care of them. Trust me, if he wanted to poison you, he would just come in here and do it.” 

Midoriya handed the bowl over to the peppermint haired boy and he hesitantly took a spoonful of it. The slight shine in his eyes after the first taste confirmed it’s safety, and he took a few more bites. Izuku busied himself with putting away his hero notes, organizing them into neat cubbies and carefully placing a few in his backpack. By the time he was done, Todoroki had finished the soup and placed it back on the bed side table. 

He was about to get up and wash the bowl, but Midoriya wouldn’t let him. The pout that showed on his face was putting his heart to the test. 

“Todoroki, you still need rest. Let me handle this.” The boy blushed as Izuku took his bowl and placed it in the sink. 

“Midoriya, you also need to eat.”

“I’ll grab something later, my main priority is taking care of you right now.” He smiled and sat down at the foot of his bed.

“I’m fine, really. You need to eat. Since you insist on me resting, I’ll stay here and try to sleep while you go grab yourself dinner, deal?” Midoriya hesitated for a moment, but sighed in defeat. He was getting a bit hungry. 

“Okay. But you have to stay in bed! No trying to do anything strenuous while I’m gone, okay?”

“Okay. Deal.” Todoroki looked up at Izuku and smiled, “Thank you by the way, for everything...” 

“Oh, Todoroki...of course. You know I’d do anything for you, right?”

“Midoriya, you literally broke your bones for me. At this point, I’ll believe anything.” 

The two laughed and-in a moment of pure adrenaline-Midoriya reached out and ruffled Todoroki’s hair. When he realized what he did, the blush on his face became comparable to the heat of the sun. Todoroki stared for a moment before chuckling to himself. They two shared another few awkward moments before Midoriya excused himself to go grab food, making sure Todoroki would stay in bed before he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this chapter is so late and so short!!! School is starting soon so I have been a little busy. The next one will be out sooner!


	6. The Beginnings of a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midoriya and Todoroki have a heart to heart and both boys are a mess.

Midoriya quickly scurried down to the kitchen, still a blushing mess from odd gesture. He wasn’t sure what had made him do that, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. Todoroki didn’t look too upset, and its not like it was a bad thing to do...right? Izuku mentally facepalmed. He couldn’t believe that he had just ruffled Todoroki’s hair like he was a kid or something.

His mind was still racing when he began making his food. He grabbed some instant ramen from the cup board and put on some water to boil. In order to make his meal a bit healthier, he also chopped up some veggies to eat on the side. He didn’t want to take too long making his meal. That way he didn’t have to leave his friend for too long. 

Todoroki was definitely looking better than he was earlier, but his worry never ceased. As he was making his lunch, the rest of the Dekusquad-whom were gathered in the common room-paraded up to him. 

“Deku! We heard Todoroki was sick. How is he doing?” Iida asked, concern etched in his voice.

“Hey Iida! He’s doing much better, but he’s still under the weather.”

“I see. That is a shame. Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Oh-that’s okay! I appreciate the offer, though. I’ll be sure to let you know if something comes up. How has your guys’ day been?”

The group chatted for a bit. Tsuyu and Uraraka had gone shopping for some new shoes for training and were planning on doing some quirk practice later in the day. iida would be joining them for training as well. The invitation was extended to Izuku as well out of politeness, but all of them pretty much knew where he would be later. 

“By the way, Midoriya, why is Todoroki staying in your room and not his?” Tsuyu asked. The green haired boy tensed for a moment, internally trying to come up with a believable excuse. There was no way he could tell the truth about what had happened. 

“ah-well...I-I thought it would be easier to take care of him from my room. Keep an eye on him, you know? Not that I wouldn’t be willing to watch over him in his own room. Things just kinda happened like that. But-“

“Midoriya, its okay. You don’t have to explain yourself so urgently. It’s easy to understand why it’d be easier to watch over him in your room.” Tsuyu reassured. Izuku chuckled nervously and ran his hands through his hair. He really needed to get better at lying. Not that he was planning on lying often, but sometimes things like this were necessary. Especially in the hero world where many things that are seen and heard are strictly confidential. He used to be better at pretending, but now that he had good friends who genuinely cared for him, he stopped feeling that he needed to do that. It was a somber thing to think that there was a time that he wasn’t able to be so open, but he felt a happy and warm knowing that he could do so now. It was nice. 

The timer on his ramen alerted him that his meal was ready and signaled his departure from the kitchen. As he was carrying his ramen and vegetables back up to his room, his mind traveled. He knew that he was going to have to talk to Todoroki about what their next move would be sometime today. He felt like a nuisance bringing it up in such a short period of time, but there was really no way around it. He hated to say it, but part of him really wanted to run straight to Aizawa-sensei after hearing about everything. Sure, Todoroki had good reasons to keep his brother’s identity a secret, but this was dangerous. 

What if Todoroki was hurt by his brother? What if Dabi just suddenly stopped caring about protecting his little brother and decided to keep him quiet? What if his other classmates were caught in the crossfire? Suddenly, a memory surfaced and wormed his way into his thoughts. When Todoroki had blown up in front of everyone and had that nightmare. He was hurt. He had a burn on his arm. He’s said it was because of training, but that wasn’t true, was it? It was Dabi.

Izuku quickened his pace back towards his room. He had to know if it was Dabi who was the one who’d hurt him. Because if it was-then they were going to have a big problem. He tried to quell the anger pooling in his chest at the thought, but the emotion translated to his legs and he sped up even more. That is, until he remembered he was carrying ramen and promptly spilled some of it on the floor. It was actually a good metaphor as to his emotions at the moment-spilling over. He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. Calm down, he thought to himself. After another deep breath, he more carefully made his way back to his room. 

When he got back to the room, he spotted Todoroki sitting in bed scrolling on his phone. He sighed and brought his food over to his desk. His face must have shown that something was bothering him, because the peppermint haired boy quickly took notice to him and asked if he was alright.

“Oh! Of course I am...sorry to worry you.” Izuku smiled and Todoroki tilted his head in confusion.

“Are you sure, Midoriya? You know you can tell me if something’s wrong, right?” The green haired boy felt his chest tighten and his smile wavered for a moment.

“No-really...I’m...! I’m...not fine. I’m sorry.” Midoriya hung his head. Turns out he couldn’t lie after all. Todoroki gave a soft smile and shimmied off the bed. Before Midoriya could scold him and tell him to get back in bed, the boy had placed his hand on Izuku’s hair and ruffled it. Just like he’s done for him earlier in the day.

“What’s the matter?” Todoroki removed his hand and sat back down on the bed, motioning for Izuku to join him. He sat down and looked up at his friend, sighing.

“Remember when you came back to the dorms and you were hurt? A few hours before you had that nightmare?”

“Yeah.”

“Well...” Izuku passed and continued on carefully. Looks like they were going to start this conversation now. “Was it Touya who hurt you?”

“Um...yeah...”

“Todoroki-!”

“It wasn’t on purpose! I know it sounds bad, but he didn’t do it on purpose. It happened one night when I was looking for him. I had only recently found out who he really was and I was following him. He didn’t know it was me who was following him, so he attacked.” Midoriya cringed and remembered just how dangerous what Todoroki had been doing was. How dangerous it IS. That night could’ve turned out much worse.

“If it was an accident, why were you so upset when you came back to the dorms the other night?”

“Well...he had told me to stop following him, obviously. He was afraid his identity would be exposed or one day he’d be with some other criminal who he couldn’t explain who I was or what I was doing there with him. He was afraid for my safety too. I refused To stop following him and told him I’d keep coming. He got really angry and yelled at me. The yelling wasn’t what made me upset though. It was something he’d said afterwards. He said...” Todoroki looked down at his lap again, his hands balling into tight fists, “he said that my meddling was going to hurt someone. That I was going to hurt him, like I’d hurt our mother.”

“But, Todoroki! You never hurt your mother. Endeavor did.”

“Yeah. But technically I was the trigger that made everything worse. I know its not a good way of thinking, but hearing it from my brother...hurt.”

“Todoroki...” Izuku, throwing caution to the wind, silently scooted over and wrapped the boy into a hug, “Todoroki, none of what happened was your fault. This is Endeavor’s doing. You were five and still protected your mother against Endeavor, even when you knew the consequences. Your brother is wrong and so is anyone who tells you that what happened to you and the rest of your family was your fault. It’s not your fault that you were born. It’s not your fault that your father did that.” Slowly, Izuku felt gentle arms encircle him and held him close. It was quiet, but he could feel the silent tears escaping from his friend’s eyes. The tears felt heavy as they carried years of hurt and abuse and sadness. To an outsider who knew nothing of the boy sitting beside him, it may mean nothing. But to those who did, they meant everything. They held onto each other for a while, the warm comfort gluing them together. Soon after his crying slowed and the two pulled away, Izuku continued.

“So...what did your brother say afterwards?”

“He...he actually apologized. He also told me it wasn’t my fault. But by that time, I was already running. He called after me, but I kept running.”

“It’s okay, Todoroki. It’s okay.”

“Thank you, Midoriya.” Todoroki breathed and the tenseness from his body fell. Izuku knew they had to talk about what they were going to do next, but he didn’t want to. Todoroki was emotionally drained. Although, as he thought more about it, he knew it was going to come up anyways. So he figured he’d better do it now.

“Todoroki-“

“Shouto-please if you wouldn’t mind, would you call me Shouto? I don’t really want anything to do with my Father’s name and with you...I’d like it if you used my first name.” Todoroki said as he stared straight into Izuku’s eyes. Midoriya felt his face heat up and quickly nodded. 

“S-sure, Shouto! Would you call me Izuku, then?” 

“Sure, Izuku.” If Midoriya was fainter at heart, he would’ve collapsed from the sound of his name on Shouto’s lips. The way his deep voice carried the sound of it made Izuku love his name even more. He must’ve been zoning out because all of a sudden Todoroki’s hand was waving in front of his face. He quickly snapped out of his stupor and laughed nervously. 

“So...I’m sorry to have to continue on with this, but what are we going to do? To be honest we really should tell someone.”

“But who would we tell? The hero commission? The police? There’d be a manhunt for my brother on both sides of society. Heroes and police chasing down a criminal and villains going after a comrade. I don’t think many villains would take that information sitting down.”

“I agree...and the media would be all over it too.”

“So, what should we do?”

“To be honest, we need to tell someone who’d be able to keep everything under wraps. I take it Endeavor doesn’t know. Do your siblings?”

“No one knows but me...and now you.” 

“Are you planning to tell them?”

“I’m going to have to. He’s their brother just as he is mine. It’s not going to be fun, but it wouldn’t be fair to keep it a secret from them. But I’m still worried. It’s dangerous for them to know.”

“It’s dangerous for YOU to know too, Shouto.” Midoriya snickered and a collective ‘I’m always the troublemaker’ glance was shared between the two. It’s not like it wasn’t true. The two did manage to run into trouble frequently.

“Yeah. But it’s different when its not you, you know?”

“Trust me, I know.”

“Oh I know you do, trust ME.” They laughed at that, both remembering several times when Izuku’s hero mode kicked in and he’d brashly risked his own safety and well-being instead of letting anyone else get involved.

“Okay...but how about we tell All Might? He’s a retired hero and technically doesn’t have to say anything.” 

“I’m not surprised you’d say him, but I’m really not that close with him the way you are. Also, his unbreakable, strong sense of justice might make him do something that would draw attention to the issue. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the man has no trouble attracting attention.”

“I mean you’re not wrong, but he-“ He was about to say that he’d kept the secret of One for All for all this time, but quickly backpedaled and realized he was about to reveal it. “No it guess your right, he probably wouldn’t be the best person to tell.”

“Any other ideas?” Todoroki asked him. Midoriya racked his brain, trying to come up with a better person to tell. All Might was his usual go to, but he figured it wouldn’t be a good idea this time. Also, considering Todoroki was going to have to tell whoever this person was about his childhood, it really shouldn’t be All Might. Knowing him, he’d feel guilty about Endeavor using his name to abuse Shouto. There was really only one other person he could think of. He would definitely be ABLE to keep the secret, but the only problem would be convincing him to do so.

“I think I know who we could tell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update! The keyboard I needed finally came in so the next chapter shouldn’t take as long. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter should be out soon!


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